S&L Podcast - #455 - When Life Gives You Bones, Make a Bone Dog

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Three Body Problem is coming to two platforms, so many beginning-of-the-year reading lists, and why we all love Bonedog (even Tom).

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE INGESTING?

Tom: Bacon egg and cheddar wrap

Veronica: Toffee almond cookie from Purebread

QUICK BURNS

THANK YOU ROB! Once again we are going to vote in March, tournament style, to narrow down 16 books to the one pick we will crown as our April read. Some say this is madness. We can only say it is in March. But to get those 16 books we need nominations! So head on over to the Sword and Laser Goodreads page (link in the show notes) and make your nominations. Rob has all the details there.

-- March madness nomination thread

Louise and bdub - Boom! Studios just launched (and funded) a kickstarter for a new The Expanse graphic novel. Well technically three graphic novels.

Seth: Today is library award day, and I always check what the American Library Association's RUSA subdivision recommends as their genre books of the last year.

Mark: Also awarded at ALA, the Alex Awards, which recognize the ten best adult books that appeal to teen readers, including a few SF&F titles (linked).

anneschuessler and Chris K.: The Locus Recommended Reading List is out:

We've covered Nettle & Bone and How High We Go in the Dark already.

kenley - Three Body Problem is now out with 30-episodes on Rakuten Viki. Free 7-day trial then $5.99/mo USD if want to continue. Can one watch 30–episodes in 7-days?!?

Then you can compare it to the Netflix version coming later this year. 😎

BARE YOUR SWORD

Drake Tungsten

Good news for fans of the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. Book 4, The Martian Contingency, now has an expected publication date of January 1, 2024.

The date seems to be specific to the Kindle edition.

Nerdy Pet Names

What Choose Your Own Adventure Type Books Can You recommend?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Nettle & Bone T. Kingfisher

Amazon Link

Tom: "This book begins with a person building a dog out of the dead bones of dogs Veronica. Hahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahaha sigh. At least it’s making me laugh now. … "

N&B - GrimCosy?

"That’s the key to GrimCosy: it’s a world where bad stuff happens, but there are good people trying their best." Ruth

N&B : Bonedog is welcome at my dog park

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #454 - Baltimore, City of Baltars

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We may be getting some Zelazny TV, Murderbot is coming back, some ideas of non-fiction book picks we could try, and we kick off our February book pick, Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE EATING?

Tom: Vegetable Tempura

Veronica: Veggie Burger

QUICK BURNS

Jan: The Philip K. Dick Award nominees have been announced: The winner will be announced April 7, 2023 at Norwescon 45

Debra: Daniel O’Malley has just published his third book in the Checquy series, titled “Blitz” (following The Rook and Stiletto).

Jan: Known genre fan Stephen Colbert is joining The Walking Dead author Robert Kirkman in producing an adaptation Of Roger Zelanzny’s ‘The Chronicles Of Amber’ series.

Jan: Bookriot has released their list of top 20 must read cozy fantasy novels

Silvana: Chengdu World Con announced new dates: 18-22 October 2023.

ChrisK: Otherwise winners announced

Mark: It turns out that the forthcoming Murderbot tale is a full-length novel (with cover reveal)!

System Collapse by Martha Wells is coming November 24, 2023 from Tordotcom Publishing

Mark: John Scalzi is the 2023 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Jan: I think S&L is established enough to once a year or so go off the established format and do something aside from science fiction or fantasy novels, be it a biography or a movie or a novelization or whatever.

BTW: Does anyone here have any more suggestions for modern choose your adventure style stories. The last ones I read were the old Lone Wolf books!"

Ruth: A suggestion for a choose your own adventure story that’s a full-length grown-up novel: Life's Lottery by Kim Newman.

Paul:

I think a good option for departing from the standard format could be Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction. It's a nonfiction book that doubles as a history of Science fiction, and mini-bios of its prominent characters.I heard an interview with the author from Our Opinions Are Correct, and it apparently does not hold back on critiquing and highlighting the problematic aspects of these men, so it could be a fun read. I know Tom was favouring the fiction ideas, but he also seems to like the history of the genre and its characters, so maybe this would be a good way to get to know the old authors without having to read old and potentially problematic books."

Tassie Dave: As for going off books for a Sword and Laser pick. We could do it as an ""extra credit"" suggestion on a semi-regular basis. Not an official pick, but more like the alternates as semi-official, but with it's own section on this forum to discuss.Maybe a movie, TV show pilot, Graphic Novel. Video game etc. Not everyone is going to join in, but it could make for fun discussions. "The Last of Us" TV show that started this week could be a worthy suggestion."

Seth: I was really turned off when I first heard of AI audiobook narrators, but this discussion got me thinking a bit more broadly - so thanks for that. Here in Iowa (and probably most states) there's a library for the blind that enlists volunteer readers to record things that would never otherwise be available in audio format - stuff like school texts or academic papers. An AI that could read that sort of thing could be an outstanding breakthrough for access to non-sighted folks.

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Kick Off

Nettle & Bone T. Kingfisher

Amazon Link

WRAP UP

Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree Jr.

Amazon link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #453 - And That's How the News Goes

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We check in on how everyone is feeling about Brightness Falls From the Air. We also feel mildly optimistic about Apple's digital narrators, and we discuss the best way to introduce someone to a series.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE EATING?

Tom: Thai-inspired shrimp curry

Veronica: Broccoli Rigatoni

QUICK BURNS

John - Apple Books quietly launches AI-narrated audiobooks

Mark: Some guy named Tom is celebrating 10 years podcasting the Daily Tech News Show

BARE YOUR SWORD

Oaken: Tom mentioned that Moorcock may have taken a cue from Tolkien or CS Lewis. From what I've read of him in interviews, it would only be as an anti-cue. Moorcock felt that Tolkien was too influential and that too much of fantasy up until that point was Tolkien-derivative. Elric was a deliberate attempt to subvert the tropes that had, until then, dominated the genre. That included Tolkien as well as Conan, et al. (He was vocal about his feelings about SF&F having become stale to the point that the old-guard felt he was deliberately trying to sideline them and they weren't happy about it.)

Iain: For me the big problem with the book is that it isn’t about Elric. Since it’s an origin story, we are watching Elric turn into will grow into himself. This is the problem with origin stories. You are actually reading about the main character.The earlier short stories and probably the subsequent stories deal with every in his prime. I mean it isn’t an alright story, unless he accidentally kills a friend/lover with Stormbringer and absorbs their soul.

Jan: The talk about the Tiptree bio was so interesting, I would love to read sometimes a bio of an interesting author for Sword & Laser!!!

And I am wondering: What other more "unusual" stuff would you love to have as a monthly read on S&L sometime, fellow Shields (or whatever we have agreed on as a term for us)?

Some ideas I would find really interesting:

- A good tie-in novel to a game, a movie or TV (like Star Trek) - or even a novelization of a science fiction or fantasy movie (like Star Wars)

- a Choose Your Own Adventure Style Book

- The Ilias or something mythology-related or very old

Any ideas?"

Hello!

I was delighted and probably a bit too excited to find that you have had discussions about Novelist over the past couple of weeks! Like Katie (Katy?), I am a librarian and I also use NoveList all the time because it is such a solid way to suggest books without having to have read them. When I can, I turn the my searching into a mini instruction session so that the patron will get an idea of how to use the database on their own.

Which reminds me, yes! NoveList is a database! What makes it special is that it is curated by librarians who are experts in readers advisory and identifying appeal factors and other story elements of books, instead of an algorithm that isn’t able to reason about those more subjective elements. For instance: I mostly read SFF (shocker), but I have found and loved books outside of those genres by searching with appeal terms.

Also, if you want to do a deep dive into NoveList’s story elements, check out this publication

It was written as a tool for librarians, but I’m pretty sure that book nerds like S&L listeners will find it useful and interesting.

Thank you again for talking about an amazing tool that so many people don’t realize is already on their belt.

~Chaos Librarian"

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Check In

Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree Jr.

Amazon link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #452 - Having Feelpinions

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A very tense episode as Veronica and Tom violently agree about Elric of Melniboné. Plus, the most anticipated books of 2023, and how to take advantage of Novelist at your local library.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: St. Francis Port (2019)Veronica: Fuggles: Javaverse Vanilla Cream Cold Brew Coffee Stout

QUICK BURNS - add time stamp!

Streamathon

Ruth: Henry Cavill is no longer Superman, but is developing a Warhammer 40k cinematic universe instead.

Jan: Goodreads has released the Goodreads readers' most anticipated books of 2023!

Mark: Michael Moorcock interview on Elric past and present

Pilchie: 2022 State of the Sanderson is out:https://www.brandonsanderson.com/state-of-the-sanderson-2022/

BARE YOUR SWORD Katie: I'm a Librarian and I use Novelist to assist me in my job all the time.

AND: Seth - Here's Novelist's list of appeals that they use to categorize books.

AND: John (Nevets) They actually have a fair amount of documentation about what they are doing. Here is a good example, and the page seems to be completely public.

Kassan Warrad
@KassanWarrad
I just heard the sad news that @AmazonStudios is producing the #GodofWar TV series. I'm left with dread and genuine confusion. Why couldn't Sony just produce it themselves? They are a studio and have the writing team that wove the GoW epic story.

Kassan Warrad
@KassanWarrad
I'm heated about Henry Cavill. The guy is a genuine fan of the IP he involves himself in, yet these writers insist on excising the passion he brings to these IPs. The worst is the #Witcher debacle. The writers are reported to ridicule the source material

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Kick Off

Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree Jr. Amazon link

Final Thoughts

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

Amazon link

Joseph: FWIW, one reason Elric might seem pulpy is because it's 50 years old [collapses into pile of dust], so closer in time to the pulp era than to today. And Moorcock spent pretty much all of the 1960s and into the 1970s writing lots of fiction at a very fast rate, which lends itself to that flavor.bleep at 34 min abouts

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks/

S&L Podcast - #451 - When Your Anti-Hero Gets a Little Too Anti

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We properly credit the amazing Nancy Pearl and her four doorways into stories. And we want yours! Send them to feedback@swordandlaser.com. Plus our mid-read takes on Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. Also, we break the news about Henry Cavill to Veronica live on the show.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: St. Francis Port (2018)
Veronica: Ardbeg

QUICK BURNS

Jan: ChatGPT, please write a quick burns news post for the Sword & Laser podcast about ChatGPT

"Sword & Laser fans, get ready to chat with ChatGPT! This new AI tool allows users to have natural conversations with a virtual assistant. ChatGPT is trained on a massive amount of text data, making it capable of providing insightful and intelligent responses to a wide range of topics.

Whether you're looking for recommendations on books, TV shows, or just want to have a casual conversation, ChatGPT is the perfect companion for fans of the Sword & Laser podcast. Give it a try and see how it can enhance your discussions about science fiction and fantasy."

Mark: Coming in 2023: System Collapse by Martha Wells

Zomino: I read the first story, will need to dig into the rest: "Here are the first look images at #Wool starring #RebeccaFerguson. The dystopian drama series arrives 2023, on #AppleTV+"

Jan: The winners of the Goodreads Choice awards have been announced.

Tina: Hulu (FX) will stream “Kindred,” based on Octavia E. Butler’s

Book, starting Dec. 13

Tamahome: William Gibson's Neuromancer coming to Apple TV+

bamugo: Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2022

Paul: Book Marks has released its list of Best Reviewed SFFH of the year. Top of the list is Sea of Tranquility.

Tamahome: Rosamund Pike to Narrate 'The Wheel of Time' Audiobooks 'The Great Hunt' will arrive on August 2

Tamahome: An Elric graphic novel boxed set is coming out Dec 6th as well

BARE YOUR SWORD

Chris K - Tom's discussion of why he and Veronica had different reactions to Six Wakes reminded me of a Nancy Pearl lecture I attended years ago.

A quote from a Publishers Weekly article she wrote:

"It seems to me that all works of fiction and narrative nonfiction are broadly made up of four experiential elements: story, character, setting, and language. I call these “doorways,” because when we open a book, read the first few pages, and choose to go on, we enter the world of that book."

Seth: Nancy Pearl is the patron saint of reader's advisory - the practice of matching books and readers. Some of you might have public libraries with access to NoveList which is a really cool database of books cataloged by "appeal." For Six Wakes they list these:

Character: Authentic
Storyline: Nonlinear, World-building
Tone: Suspenseful
Writing Style: Compelling, Descriptive

Then they offer matches based on those criteria (or combinations you choose) - it's pretty neat.

When it comes to Nancy's doorways, I'm definitely a Setting reader - it's nice to have that sort of self-awareness when picking and rating books."

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

Amazon link

Book briefing

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #450 - Where the Wild Nerds Are

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We wrap up our thoughts on Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty and Tom tries out his 4-part way of evaluating books to explain why people enjoyed it differently. Plus we kick off our December pick, Elric of Melniboné, encourage you to save Locus Magazine and Veronica is IMPRESSIVE at reading author names now.

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Paul: This Washington Post list is by Charlie Jane Anders, so you know it's worth perusing.

jkb added in BookRiot's 42 OF THE BEST FANTASY NOVELS FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS

Louise: Locus magazine is running an Indiegogo-campaign for funding. Twenty days left.

Mark: Rivers of London: The Roleplaying Game was released this week by Chaosium.

"Some familiar NPC portraits!"

Cham1nade: Robin McKinley has just been announced as 39th SFWA Grand Master:

terpkristin: I don’t remember if I posted this before. BBC is doing a radio play/podcast of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. It will start on 20 December and run for 12 days

CountZeroOr: In translated Japanese Fantasy novels get audiobooks news, the first novel in the "Slayers" series, currently being distributed by J-Novel Club, has received an audiobook release through the usual places (Audible, Kobo, etc.)

Trike: On October 31st, a federal judge ruled against the merging of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, saying that it would “substantially lessen competition” in publishing.

Jan: Amazon has released their list of Best Books of 2022, the 20 best books in the Science Fiction & Fantasy category

BARE YOUR SWORD

Joseph: As far as a source for forthcoming books, may I suggest locusmag.com/forthcomingbooks/

Joanna: This year Locus started doing weekly roundups of new sf/f/h books on Youtube

Also Tor.com does monthly compilations of upcoming books

For long term planning I use www.goodreads.com/new_releases - it gives you a list of books of authors you have on your shelves, so no new discoveries from there, but it definitely helps me to keep up with series. Minor inconvenience is that if you read one book from prolific author he will haunt your list forever, even if you did not like the book very much.

To not get lost with all of this I created an exclusive shelf on Goodreads for all the upcoming books, and when sorted by publication date it gives me a clear view of what to look for in bookstores/libraries/etc. "

My wife Amy Fredericks is the true S&L fan, but I’ve enjoyed listening when she’s behind the wheel, taking us places.

I’ve always had fun coming up with names for things and making logos when I’ve done design. So I wracked my brain thinking of anything that relates to both types of weaponry.

I might think of something better in time, but at the moment I think I have something that at least makes sense.

WIELDERS

Both swords and laser pistols can be wielded, and it’s a concise word. It’s not the sexiest or punchiest sounding word, but maybe it’ll inspire further thought to carry it over the finish line.

And, of course, if you like it, how it stands, I won’t complain!

Thanks guys!

Rob

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

Amazon link

Book briefing

Last Thoughts

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

Amazon link

Think I kinda hate the opener

Maria and responsibility

Antagonist's motivation *SPOILERS*

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #449 - Finding a Leggy Blonde

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Veronica forgets what beer she had. Must be a good beer. It was a blonde in a tall can. A leggy blonde perhaps? Also, we have the World Fantasy Award winner AND the SPFBO finalists! Plus our non-spoilery first impressions of Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: 2019 St. Francis Caro Santo

Veronica: Drank a beer at dinner - sadly it was not a leggy blonde.

QUICK BURNS

Bamugo and Mark: The winner of NOVEL #WorldFantasyAwards2022 is: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Orbit US/Orbit UK)

Mark: Genevieve Cogman, is starting a new series next year, Scarlet, a "thrilling reinvention of The Scarlett Pimpernel with the addition of magic and even more mayhem"

Jan: This Year's Goodreads Choice Awards have started and you can vote for your best fantasy and science fiction books

Steven: The Finalist for SPFBO 8 or Spiff-Bo 8. The ten books chosen by the ten bloggers are

BARE YOUR SWORD

Ideas for fan name

Ian (RebelGeek) - I'm partial to calling us "Laser Swords"

Ken - what about cadre? It fits both gangs in armies for lasers and swords. Or go is an acronym the SLF's sword and laser fence.

Punkinstew - SHIELD backronym - Second Hand Information Ending with Literary Discourse

"Danny: Longtime listener who's never been able to afford to give back but I may have found a way.

Upon hearing the discussion on the last show about a name for the listeners, I love 'Shields' and was inspired to create a logo. Attached is a logo sheet with different variations.

Feel free to use as you'd like, digital, print and apparel.

P.S. How about a page on the website listing upcoming scifi/fantasy book releases? I never know when stuff is coming out."


BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

- Amazon link

Book briefing

S&L Podcast - #448 - The Reverse Heisenberg

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Veronica is very concerned about the Witcher news. Also on this episode: we have some prize winners to increase your to-read list. We pick a tentative fan name for y'all. We kick off our November read, Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, AND our final thoughts on The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. Also, Veronica might have Crow-vid.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Water
Veronica: Michters

QUICK BURNS

Mal: Liam Hemsworth will take over from Henry Cavill as Geralt in Season 4 of the Witcher on Netflix

Jan: The 2021 Kitschies, the tentacle themed award honoring “the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining fiction that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic,” have been announced

Mark: The 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction was announced yesterday evening.

Stubble: On Nov 8th, TOR Books is releasing "Origins of The Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan" by Michael Livingston with a foreword by Harriet McDougal (Jordan's widow).

Iain: Ann Leckie has a new book coming next year set in the world of the Imperial Radch. Straight on the must read pile.

Paul: The winner of the Arthur C Clarke award has been announced!

Mark: Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster

BARE YOUR SWORD

Tamahome: I posted these blogger self published fantasy and scifi awards in discord. More acronyms for you.
(SPFBO) (fantasy, run by Mark Lawrence)(started 2015)
(SPSFC) (science fiction, run by Hugh Howey) (it just started last year)

What to call Sword and Laser fans

Kev: "Drones and Familiars"?

Trike: Swazers.

Tassie Dave: Minions

David C: Armorers

Eileen: Shield [[Backronyms: Cham1nade: Shelf Heaps Increasing Every Literal Day -- or Stuffing earHoles wIth Excellent Literary Discursions]] — Tamahome: - Sword Holding Infidels Extra Laser Dudes

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

Amazon link

Book briefing

WRAP UP

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Amazon Link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #447 - Sword and Lazy

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It's our 15th anniversary! And we celebrated by making puns, discussing our favorite wearable fantasy and sci-fi weapons, and finding rumors about our hometowns. We also check in on our read of The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: San Pellegrino

Veronica: Fernie Brewing Hazy Pale Ale Headwall

QUICK BURNS

Tassie Dave: In happier news, the Sword and Laser book club turns 15 years old this weekend. On the 15th of October 2007, Veronica created the Sword and Laser Ning forum to house the S&L community (before we moved to Goodreads & Discord) and on October 16th, 2007 the first S&L book pick was announced. It was the Golden Compass (AKA Northern Lights) A 15-year anniversary is Crystal. Dilithium Crystal for Tom and Dark Crystal for Veronica 😉

Tamahome: More awards! The finalists are in for Mark Lawrence's 8th SFPBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off).

Gristle McNerd: Zach Weinersmith's newest book is up for preorder. It's a children's retelling of Beowulf, and it looks very cool

Trike: Wool, the adaptation of the Hugh Howey book, is officially listed on the AppleTV app.

Jan: The Folio Society has released a beautiful new folio of The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Ruth: Veronica you’ve become a witch queen with an entire murder of crows (or, it sounds like, a murder of murders) as your familiars. Love that for you.

Veronica,

As a long-time Vancouver resident, after listening to the last couple of episodes of S&L (I was a bit behind...), it sounds like you've moved to our fair city. I thought we should welcome you (I'm sure others have already), and wanted to help clear up a couple of things you mentioned during the last two episodes.

First off, please stop feeding the crows.

"The BC SPCA is opposed to intentional hand-feeding of birds like jays, gulls, pigeons and ducks, geese and other waterfowl, and recommends municipalities and parks strongly discourage feeding through education, bylaws and enforcement.

Approved by the Board of Directors – June 2019

I'm not sure if you've spent any time at Granville Island, but they have these signs out.

The crow migration (6,000+ birds) is a daily occurrence, and one of Vancouver's most interesting phenomena. I'm not sure what part of the city you are in, but I live in the False Creek area and see the fly-by everyday. 150 birds are not unusual, depending on where you live. Here are a couple of links to help better understand what's going on:

If others have sent this to you already, I apologize for the repeat. Welcome to Vancouver and let me know if there's anything you need while you're here.

Warren

Rumors about your hometown

Kelly Sedinger - @Jaquandor

So I was catching up on episodes of @swordandlaser and there was a discussion of the question: "What is the sci-fi equivalent of Harry Potter?" The discussion went in several directions, but at one point Tom Merritt wondered if what was being asked was pretty specific:

"Longer series, doesn't have to be specifically seven books, progressing over the youth of the character...." And, well...may I introduce y'all to THE SONG OF FORGOTTEN STARS!

So if you're looking for "the sci-fi Harry Potter", well...for at least one way of looking at that question, I've got you covered! (Or at least I like to think so because I'm just that presumptuous.)"

Arrika

@arrika

Ready to discover your next favorite book? @swordandlaser fans will be excited to know that The Spare Man by @MaryRobinette Kowal releases from @TorBooks in just a few days. You can purchase your copy.

What are your favorite wearable weapons in SF/F

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

CHECK-IN (NON-SPOILERY)

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Amazon Link

TJT: Influence of South Asian History/Legends

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #446 - Don't Blurb on a Dime

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[Ed. note: We tried to fix V’s audio, sorry for the weirdness!] Veronica may have overdone becoming a friend of crows. she has more than 100 of them in her driveway now. A science fiction museum opening in London sounds amazing. And we kick off our non-spoilery thoughts on The Jasmine Throne.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Veronica: Russel Brewing Company Pumpkin Pie Milkshake IPA

QUICK BURNS

Gristle McNerd: Terry Pratchett's official biography, written by himself and (after his death) his long-time assistant and friend Rob Wilkins, was just released.

Jan: From LocusMag:

Amazon has announced changes to a controversial policy which allowed readers to return ebooks

Mark: All the authors of the stories in the first cyberpunk anthology, Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling, have agreed to make the book available to read for free.

Mark: The Iron Gate by Harry Connolly was just released.

Jan: The three winners of the "Imagine 2200" short story contest have been announced.

Jan: Rachel Brittain over at bookriot.com has curated her list of the 25 best space opera books of all time - from

Jan: The Guardian reports about a new Science Fiction exhibition opening on Thursday, October 6th at the Science Museum in London.

Jan: Buzzfeed has released a list of "19 Cozy Fantasy Books For You To Curl Up With This Fall".

Jan: Bookriot also has a nice Fantasy Sub Genre Primer up mentioning everything from a Fantasy of Manners to Magical Realism.

BARE YOUR SWORD

BethMicham: Two of the three founding members of the Seattle Sword & Laser chapter, Genesee and Brandon, are engaged! Both had been in the club for a while and then met in person at the first Seattle meeting to discuss “Time and Again” by Jack Finney in December, 2015. Reading and Sword & Laser have been huge parts of their lives so they wanted to share this news with y’all and say thank you. Here is a picture of the engagement ring they designed; it’s a sapphire sitting in an open book, the band is made of rose gold. They plan to get married sometime in 2024.

I teased them that I would put this in the “slow burn” channel 😉 The whole Seattle chapter is so happy for them — they are beautiful together."

From John K:

Next time you're looking for a Sci-Fi book for the podcast, i'd like to recommend The Silver Ships by S.H. Jucha. It's book 1 in a series of 20 books. It's totally space Sci-Fi. Written in 2015. It's optimistic and well written. I'm on book 2 and i'm loving the series, but book 1 does have an ending so it's not a cliff hanger kind of thing where you have to go on to book two."

From Mark C:

The Spellmonger by Terry Mancour. It’s arguably one of the best series ever written. Also check out Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. Both are excellent readings."

@KassanWarrad

While you're right to ask fans of a certain IP to switch from anticipatory anger when a book is adapted to the screen, those who want to bring said book to the screen are doing so because of the baked-in popularity and fanbase.

It makes no sense to then gut the book and change it under the guise of ""artistic freedom."" If the finished product only loosely resembles the source material, why do it? Just make an original production. Don't hijack an established IP.

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Non-spoilery

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Buy it on Amazon

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #445 - Release the S&L Cut!

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We love the Wellsian Touch, be it murderbots or fantasy. Is there a Harry Potter of SciFi? And we wrap up How High we Go in the Dark… and suggest the S&L edit.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: St. Francis 2019 Old Vines Zinfandel

Veronica: Michter's Whisky

QUICK BURNS

Mark & Ruth: British Fantasy Awards 2022 Announced

rogo: The Ignyte Awards also happened on the 17th.

Ruth: I’m a bit slow on the update but I thought it was worth mentioning that the 2024 WorldCon is confirmed for Glasgow and will take place August 8-12th

John (Taloni) Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir is out! Third book in the Locked Tomb series. S&L read the first one, Gideon the Ninth.

Keith: From SFSignal. I somehow completely missed that W. Gibson's The Peripheral is/was turned into a series.

John (john) Spotify launches audiobook store...

Ruth: Peacock has canceled its planned TV adaptation of bestselling and award-winning fantasy trilogy, The Green Bone Saga.

Jan: Tor.com is announcing Murderbot Diaries author Martha Wells’ new epic Fantasy novel "Witch King"

Jan: The Gastropod podcast has released a new episode about food in science fiction and fantasy and features


BARE YOUR SWORD

Mark: Following up on the S&L Podcast #406 snack discussion, this important news:

Pepperidge Farm Old Bay Seasoned Goldfish
Stephen: I finally found a great bookshop here in Bangkok with a healthy Fantasy and Science Fiction section. There were some authors on the self I was pleasantly surprised to see. The mall is very confusing, so it might take a bit of time to find it again.

What is the SF equivalent of Harry Potter?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Announce

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Wrap Up

How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Spoilers Let's talk about "Melancholy Nights in a Tokyo Virtual Cafe"

Too over the top? Is there a resolution?

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser dlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #444 - Cut Thieves and Purses

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The Hugos are here and lots of very deserving winners. A roguish story bundle. Are TV shows worse than an ending? Our first thoughts on How High We Go in the Dark, and our last thoughts on Rivers of London.

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Iain: Hugo Winners Announced

Jan: Dragon Con has announced the winners for the 2022 Dragon Awards

John (Taloni) SFWA has a story bundle up, theme The Renegades of Tomorrow

CountZeroOr: AMC is doing a new prestige animated series from Ken Liu.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Carin Ruff @carinr

Interesting discussion about Aaronovitch writing a Black protagonist in the latest ep. I confess it had never occurred to me as an issue because the incomparable Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as audio narrator completely displaced the author in my mind."

—-

Stephen: Moving and books do not go together. I would have liked to have saved my First Editions and signed stuff, but the airline had a 50 Lbs limit on 1 suitcase which shot down that notion. Downside of moving halfway around the world. The upside? A major upgrade in my living standards. (Stephen moved from From Los Angeles to Samut Prakan (Just outside Bangkok) Thailand)

—-

Endings

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Amazon

2 Chapters in: I hope the story pays off

Book Briefing

Wrap Up?

Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch

Amazon

RoL: Worldbuilding the "real" world

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #443 - The Land of MoarTor

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We get more Tor now and possibly more Lord of the Rings movies. Plus a nuanced discussion of representation in a book when the author is white.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: San Pellegrino
Veronica: Del Dotto Vineyards

QUICK BURNS

Mal pointed out that a company called Embracer has bought Middle Earth. Specifically, Middle-earth Enterprises, which handles most of the rights to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Jan: Amazon announced that "The Fellowship of the Ring" as read by Andy Serkis will be available for free on its voice-powered devices through October 13, 2022 as a promotion for their new Rings of Power series.
"Just say: 'read The Lord of the Rings Book One'"

Jan: Goodread's Most Anticipated Fantasy & Science Fiction Books of Fall

Jan: Tom Doherty Associates (with it's main imprint "Tor Books") is rebranding as Tor Publishing Group

Jan and Mark both submitted: DragonCon has announced the 2022 Dragon Awards nominees .

Jan: Charlize Theron and Alfonso Cuarón are attached to "Jane", an Amazon Prime "biopic" based on the personal life of Philip K. Dick from Dick's daughter Isa Hackett and told from the perspective of the author's twin sister, who in reality died six weeks after birthy-Horror-2022-Maguire-Susan/pid=9767201?_zs=qMspW1&_zl=AkaV8

BARE YOUR SWORD

Two out of Two Ruths agree, Cruises are great

Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth-

The appeal of a cruise, to me, wouldn’t be the ‘being stuck on a boat’ part, but the part where I would get to visit lots of different places without going anywhere (once I’ve travelled to the ship itself). The places I want to visit would all be brought magically within easy reach of my ‘hotel’ room. I think that would be nice.

And Ruth wrote

Same. (and talked about a summer 2020 cruise she had booked that got canceled then added) Maybe one day the stars will align and I’ll get to go on the Writing Excuses cruise around the Caribbean with Mary Robinette Kowal. That would be awesome.Subject: Rivers of London synchronicity

——-

Thanks for (finally!) picking RoL. Great reason to go back to the beginning of the series and re-listen to the audiobook. In a strange synchronicity, the same day I got to Peter and Nightingale seeking out XXX, this article appeared about the drought in England and how it’s affected the source of the Thames.

Dale

—-

Beth Mitcham
@MitchamBeth
·
Jul 31
TERRA NULLIUS, Claire C. Coleman. Too depressing at first, but I perked up when I recognized the world-conquering aliens. I mean, everyone was still doomed, but at least there were aliens! Good writing that spawns good thinking = good SF.
@swordandlaser

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

What should Tom pick for September? Tom has to pick the book in the next few days so jump in that Discord with ideas!

Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch (Amazon link)

Molly started a great discussion about what folks think of a white CIS male author (Aaronovitch) writing a BIPOC main character (Peter).

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks/

S&L Podcast - #442 - Multiverse Penguin

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Is Hunt the Stars a summer fling? We wrap up our thoughts on the SFR hit. Plus, the lowdown on the RandomPenguin antitrust lawsuit as they try to buy Simon and Schuster.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Diet Coke

Veronica: GunBun Gewurztraminer

QUICK BURNS

Roberator: PRIME VIDEO RENEWS THE WHEEL OF TIME FOR SEASON 3

Scott: The first annual Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) announced it's winner!

Mark: The US Library of Congress has announced the speakers for their National Book Festival over Labor Day weekend.

Mark: 2022 World Fantasy Award Nominees Announced

Mark: The 2022 Scribe Awards were handed out at SDCC

Rick: First full trailer for the Netflix adaptation Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" just dropped

Mark: Stephen King and the DOJ battle Random Penguins invading Simon & Schuster

Mark: Nominees for the British Fantasy Award were announced this week. Winners to be announced at FantasyCon in September.

Mark: In November, RandomPenguin (or maybe RandomPenguinSimonSchuster) will publish a 30th anniversary edition of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson with new material from the author's archives.

BARE YOUR SWORD

@BarakRaguan

I am in tears laughing at @acedtect and @Veronica making an absolute mess of London-based SF/F fiction on @swordandlaser's latest episode"

@MitchamBeth

HUNT THE STARS, Jessie Mihalik. @Swordandlaser picked a great summer read! It's a fast moving romp using many great tropes: telepathic cats and psionics, rival space empires betraying their own people, found family space crew, and love among the stars."

Cruise with an author?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

NEXT MONTH:

Don't forget that our August pick is Rivers of London, also known as Midnight Riot in the US, by Ben Aaronovitch.

Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch

Amazon

WRAP UP

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik https://bookshop.org/a/56085/9780063051034

Too Much Sexy Time?

Romance in my SF, like Faith in my Mystery

How it ends

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #441 - Multiverse Tom Read It

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S&L Podcast - #440 - Mr. Darcy in Space

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We have Locus winners and Veronica read so many of them! Plus, what makes some books seem like a retread while others more of a remix? And our first thoughts on Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik.

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Mark: 2022 Locus Award winners announced today.

After 24 years the Barnes and Noble in Tamahome's hometown of Clark, new Jersey is closing

Tamahome: ‘Dark Winds’ Trailer: Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin Produce ’70s Navajo Detective Drama"

BARE YOUR SWORD

Whatever happened to…?

What are your favorite stories that messed with your head?

Remix versus Retread

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

Amazon

Last thoughts on our June reads!

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #439 - And the Rest is History

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So many awards! We learn about a novelization of an unpublished Alien 3 script by William Gibson. We take a brief trip back to episode 1. And we share the books we picked to read this month in honor of Jenny.

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Jan: As The Hollywood Reporter writes, there is a Jon Snow Sequel Series in Development at HBO with Kit Harrington attached to reprise his role as Jon Snow.

Jan: Penguin Random House has announced a new imprint, Random House Worlds, "dedicated entirely to licensed book publishing.’

Jan: Goodreads has releases their list of the most popular books of 2022 (so far). In Science Fictios and Fantasy the TOP 5 are:

Mark: The 2022 Scribe Awards nominees have been announced. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con Friday July 22.

Jan: The Lambda Literary Foundation has announced the winners for the Annual Lambda Literary Awards, celebrating “the best lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender books.”

Jan: Nominees for the first Utopia Awards, presented in association with the Climate Fiction Conference (CliFiCon22), to be held online October 1, 2022, have been announced.

Tamahome: Harlan Ellison's last edgy anthology to be published posthumously next year with the help of J. Michael Straczynski. I actually saw this in Wikipedia.

Jan: Netflix has released a first clip for 'First Kill' "an adaptation of the short story by V. E. Schwab about a sapphic teenage vampire-monster hunter romance"

Jan: Netflix has released a first teaser trailer for their upcoming Paul Feig movie "The School for Good and Evil" based on the series by Soman Chainani and set to premiere in September.

Joanna: Samuel Delany’s new book This Short Day of Frost and Sun (according to author it is "fantasy, in the manner of G. K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday") will be serialized in The Georgia Review starting from the Summer 2022 issue.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Fun time comparisons:

Jan: original Star Wars is way closer to the outbreak of World War II than it is to today

Tassie Dave: Cleopatra lived closer in time to the building of the Sydney Opera House, than she did to the building of the Pyramids of Giza

Paul: The amount of time between the first Stegosaurus and the last Tyrannosaurus is roughly the same as the amount of time between the last Tyrannosaurus and NOW!"

Good evening,

I am presently reading the oldest books on the podcast. I was hoping to listen to those old shows. I have discovered that you’ve posed all the old shows on sound cloud. My question is, are the first few shows available somewhere that I haven’t looked? Thanks for any help or guidance you can provide.

Jason

Here’s episode one on Archive.org.

Beth Mitcham

MACHINEHOOD, S.B. Divya. Great big and small-scale questions -- ideas about humanity's future and societal change, peeks at future kitchen technology and virtual school. Characters worry about world destruction and spousal discord.

Kenley Neufeld

A place we may become. Or are? Familiar, and yet not. To lie is to be jailed. A story of a speculator. Those who uncover the lies. A death that leads us on a journey. Fun play with words. A “cop” drama. Golden State by @benhwinters - book #3 for June ⁦

Kenley Neufeld

If, Then by Kate Hope Day. Book #1 for June

@swordandlaser pick. It was quick & easy read. Shifting through the multi-verse. Gives us pause on what could have been; what might have been. Choices we make. Mostly traditional fiction with some genre mixed into the story. I liked it!"

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Veronica - Nona the Ninth

Tom - Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Next Month

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

Amazon link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #438 - New Ruth Rising

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It's award season! We have Nebulas, we have Mythopoeics, we have Nommos. We also have some nice reviews of the show, and we wrap up our thoughts on Machinehood by S.B. Divya. It made us think!

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Mark: SFWA Announces the Winners of the 57th Annual Nebula Awards

Seth: The 2022 shortlist for the Mythopoeic fantasy awards features familiar names from previous Sword and Laser picks

Jan: The African Speculative Fiction Society has announced the shortlist for the Nommo Awards 2022, recognizing works of speculative fiction by African writers.

Jan: The winners of the 2022 Kurd Lasswitz Prize for the best German science fiction works and translations have been announced.

Deanna: Barnes and Noble is hosting a virtual event on July 27, 2022 featuring Zoraida Cordova discussing The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina with Rebecca Roanhorse. Tickets are free :)


BARE YOUR SWORD

Joseph Was the wine La Vieille Ferme? We used to serve that at the theater I volunteer at; we always just called it "chicken red" or "chicken white" so as not to have to try to pronounce La Vieille Ferme.

Five Book Podcasts I Absolutely Love

What It's Like To Read Brandon Sanderson

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

In honor of Jenny Colvin we're asking everyone to read as many books as they want this month and review them.

Tom: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Veronica: Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

WRAP UP

Machinehood by S.B. Divya

Amazon Link

Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth

I’m only just up to chapter 6, so my views may change, but right now, I’m surprised at the talk of Machinehood being concept over characters, because I’m really loving the characters I’ve met so far. Perhaps there is some wish fulfilment in how driven Welga seems, in that she is very much my opposite. I want to keep reading this book for her, concepts be damned! But that’s the thing about reading - we all get something different. :)

A little too close (Ruth follows up)

Okra (spoilers for the end)

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #437 - Jenny Was a Friend of Mine

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The hope of science fiction spurred by a science museum, Dracula by email, why it's called a tetralogy and our non-spoilery thoughts on Machinehood, and our goodbyes to friend of the show, Jenny Colvin.

Download directly here!

Many of you know, but some of you may not that Jenny Colvin, host of Reading Envy, member of Sword and LAser's community and so much more passed away unexpectedly last week. We'll be posting some of your memories of her on our website in the show notes for this episode and stick around after the music ends for this episode to hear us share our memories.

So who needs a drink?

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Terra

Veronica: The rooster rosé

QUICK BURNS

Mark: 2022 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists announced.

Seth: The British Science Museum is opening a cool-looking exhibit called Science Fiction:
And as part of the exhibit's opening in October, they're sponsoring a sci-fi writing competition

Ruth: The Dracula Daily newsletter

Oaken: C.J. Cherryh is on the mend

terpkristin: Chicon 8, the next Worldcon, is hosting, with some bookstores, local events to talk about books.

Ruth: Tor dot com publishing have released a free sampler of their 2022 debuts, you can download it in various formats

Paul: Polygon released their favourite 2022 SFF books so far

BARE YOUR SWORD

Jamie: My podcast player was acting up, so I managed to listen to this today. And since they (to my surprise) read out a post of mine and asked for references, well, that's a fair response, so:

US English
UK English

The reason why "quadrology" is considered... well, "nonstandard" is probably more accurate than to say it's simply "wrong"... is that the -logy ending is Greek so, ideally, it goes with the Greek word for "four" - and "quad-" is Latin. There are some words that break this rule ("television" is probably the best known) but there are fewer than you might think.

@anne_korfmacher
for some reason the episode index on the S& L website doesn't load on my end anymore. Any ideas why? The overview is super helpful and I would love to continue using it!

You're right, it's broken! We didn't do anything, so maybe something on Squarespace changed! We'll look into it!

@jfdubeau, regarding figuring out the mystery too early or getting spoilers:
I think there's a sweet spot. You want to figure it out juuuust before the reveal. Like half a chapter or a couple of paragraphs. That way you feel clever for figuring it out, but not like the mystery is too shallow.

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION - CHECK IN

Machinehood by S.B. Divya

Amazon Link

When good science makes bad fiction

I think the book is awesome

.ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks/

REMEMBERING JENNY "READING ENVY" COLVIN

"It's a sad day in our Furman library world. Our colleague, Jenny Colvin passed away last night at the age of 43. She was the fastest reader I know, read anything, had a podcast Reading Envy and a baking blog JennyBakes. She cared a lot about a lot of things, but mostly in trying to make things better."

Rob: Jenny was one of the first members of S&L that I talked with. She was recruiting reviewers for SFFAudio and I did those for a few years under her coordination. After that dried up, I didn't talk to her as often but she would always chime in from time to time with some good comments on S&L despite getting busy with her own blog and podcast: I'm really sorry to hear of her passing.

Tassie Dave: That is very sad news. Jenny was a valued member with great insights and a voracious appetite for books. She was a guest host twice, on Shows 408 and 409 last year while Veronica was on maternity leave She will be missed.

John (Nevets): As usual in these sort of situations, I want to say something, but don't know what. I do know that her insightful and unique takes on the books she enjoyed so much will be very much missed. I truly enjoyed, and looked forward to her comments. It almost didn't feel like a group read was done until she had weighed in with a poignant take. I also thought it appropriate to link to her comments on the passing of another of our members Joanna 5 years ago.

elizabeth: To echo John (Nevets), I want to say something, but I don't really know what. I've had Jenny as a friend on Goodreads for years, and while I didn't interact with her a ton, she was probably one of the people that I relied on the most for reviews and recommendations. I just knew if Jenny thought a book was special, I would too. I'm so incredibly saddened by her passing and will miss her presence in the book world immensely. She was much too young.

John Taloni: A huge loss. I found her posts insightful and always enjoyed when she responded to one of mine. The world is a little darker now.

John Nevets also had a great idea about how we could honor Jenny: I have an idea regarding a possible way the book club could memorialize Jenny’s passing. I’m by no means sure it is a good idea, I just had it, and am posting it here to start a discussion about it. When Joanna died 5 years ago Tom and Veronica chose to read one of her unread books in her Goodreads list. I thought this was a great and wholly appropriate way of remembering her. And each time I see “The Hum and Shiver” in my audible account I think of her. Jenny was such a prolific reader that this doesn’t seem quite right, and also may be a more difficult task. My suggestion instead is for one month not have a traditional book pick, but instead have each of us read as many different books as we can ( even if that is just one), and then write a Goodreads review of them. Possibly mentioning it is posted in her memory. I know many are very good about writing reviews anyway, but many of us aren’t, and I thought this would be a unique way of sharing much of what she enjoyed.

If you want to help support charities that Jenny cared about deeply, here are some links provided by her husband, Nathaniel:

FRIENDS OF THE FURMAN LIBRARIES

GREENVILLE ANIMAL CARE

S&L Podcast - #436 - It's About the Howdunnit

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Is a mystery ruined if you guess the perpetrator too early? We say maybe not! Plus good news from Peter V. Brett and more radical transparency from Veronica.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Cherry Coke Zero

Veronica: Rosé

QUICK BURNS

Jan: From LocusMag

The winner of the 2022 Ray Bradbury Prize is "Spirits Abroad" by Zen Chowas.

Ian (RebelGeek) A new anthology including a new Dresden Files story is out now!

Jan: HBO has dropped a trailer and announced the premiere date for Stephen Moffat’s adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel "The Time Traveller's Wife"

TRP: The twelfth book in the Thraxas series by Martin Scott (aka Martin Millar) has bben released

Jan: K.W. Colyard from Bookriot has released a list of their "best fantasy books you’ve never heard of

BARE YOUR SWORD

Tassie Dave "With the discussion of the excellent comedy series "Our Flag Means Death", I was surprised Veronica and/or Tom never mentioned the only cast member who has been interviewed on "Sword and Laser" Wee John Feeney (AKA Kristian Nairn) or as we all know him "Hodor""

Jamie: Pedant that I am, it's going to bug me if I don't point out that the correct word for a set of four books is "tetralogy" not "quadrilogy". (Heh... my spellchecker did *not* like me typing that second word!) Although ""quartet"" is a perfectly valid alternative and probably more common

Peter V. Brett Hold onto your butts

Thanks Craig Albuck @Devolark and @terpkristin for the tip on Twitter!

Beth Mitcham - @MitchamBeth

A MASTER OF DJINN, P. Djèlí Clark. I see what you did with that title! A fun genre-savvy adventure that has swashbuckling action, a rookie sidekick, a dash of romance, and a mystery base. All flavors work together like a gumbo. #Hugo2022

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICKOFF

Machinehood by S.B. Divya

Amazon Link

WRAP UP

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Amazon

Whodunnit

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

Review us on iTunes!

feedback@swordandlaser.com

swordandlaser.com

We are on Instagram and Twitter! @swordandlaser

goodreads.com